This invention relates to a device for removably attaching an audio adapter to optical equipment such as an electronic still camera and a video camera.
Some electronic still cameras are provided with an image recording mechanism for storing a signal, representative of the image of a subject, in a magnetic disk, and an audio recording mechanism for magnetically recording voice signals.
An electronic still camera has been developed in which an adapter having an audio processing function can be removably attached to the camera as needed in order to make the electronic still camera more compact.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a conventional device for removably attaching an audio adapter. This removable attachment device 30 comprises a receptive mechanism provided on a side wall 31a of a casing of the electronic still camera 31, and an insertion mechanism provided on a side wall 32a of a casing of the audio adapter 32. The audio adapter 32 is attached to the still camera 31 in contiguous relation thereto.
More specifically, a base plate 33 is mounted within the casing of the electronic still camera 31, and the base plate 33 has at its center an internally threaded portion 33a for receiving a lock screw 34, the base plate 33 having a female connector member 35b mounted on a lower portion thereof. Receiving holes are formed through the casing side wall 31a and are disposed in registry with the threaded portion 33a and the female connector member 35b, respectively. A hole 31a1 is formed through the upper portion of the casing side wall 31a for positioning or registration purposes.
The audio adapter 32 has the lock screw 34 extending through the other casing side wall 32b and the casing side wall 32a, a male connector portion 35a extending outwardly from the casing side wall 32a, and a positioning projection 32a1 formed on the upper portion of the side wall 32a.
With this construction of the removable attachment device 30, the positioning projection 32a1 and male connector portion 35a of the audio adapter 32 first are inserted respectively into the positioning hole 31a1 and female connector member 35b of the electronic still camera 31. Then, the lock screw 34 is threaded into the internally threaded portion 33a of the electronic still camera 31 to tie the audio adapter and the electronic still camera together.
For removing the audio adapter 32 from the electronic still camera 31, the lock screw 34 is loosened, and then the audio adapter 32 is pulled away from the electronic still camera 31. The audio adapter 32 provided with the removable attachment device 30 converts an electric voice signal, produced by a microphone or the like, into a digital signal, which then is fed to the female connector member 35b of the electronic still camera 31 via the male connector portion 35a.
The electronic still camera 31 electrically converts an image, picked up by its optical system, into a digital image signal, and stores this signal in a magnetic disk together with the above audio digital signal.
The information thus stored in the magnetic disk is used in various ways, such as display and printing, by a reproducing device.
In the above conventional device 30 for the removable attachment of an audio adapter, the adapter is attached to the electronic still camera by the lock screw 34. Therefore, considerable time is required for the attachment and detachment of the audio adapter 32, making the attachment and detachment operations rather cumbersome.
Further, since the lock screw 34 extends through the interior of the audio adapter 32 between the opposed side walls of the casing, there is a problem in that the lock screw 34 limits the arrangement of the component parts within the casing of the audio adapter.